Unless otherwise noted, all content was authored by Chip Taylor, edited by Jim Lovett and Sarah Schmidt, and published by Jim Lovett.

==========================================

1) Status of the Population

They’re back! The monarchs are making a recovery from the low populations that have persisted since the winter of 2004. As you may recall, severe storms at the overwintering sites in January and February of 2004 reduced the population to an extremely low level. In fact, the number of returning monarchs in the spring of 2004 was the lowest recorded in recent years (Table 1). Unfortunately, the conditions through most of the breeding season were unfavorable last summer. The cold weather that prevailed in the northern portion of the breeding range limited the number of monarch generations and reduced population size. The result was the most erratic migration we’ve experienced since we started Monarch Watch in 1992 and the lowest overwintering population recorded to date in Mexico (2.19 hectares). [To see how this year compares with the previous two years in terms on monarch degree days, see the degree day tabulation below.]

The good news is that we should see a near average migration in most of the country this fall and an overwintering population in Mexico that could be in the five to seven hectare range or higher (a considerable improvement over last year, yet a bit below the long-term average of nine hectares). Am I being too optimistic? I don’t think so. The number of monarch sightings in June was the highest recorded in the last six years (Table 1). Further, the reports from Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan are positive and the conditions for monarch reproduction for the last generation of the season appear to be favorable throughout the breeding range. The possible exceptions are north central Illinois, northern Indiana, and extreme southern Michigan, which are all experiencing drought conditions. Monarchs are spotty in New England, but that is generally the case at this time of year. The northeast should see a modest migration this fall - one that is a bit below that of the long-term average; however, that could change. New females should be emerging every day for the next two weeks and if conditions are favorable for egg laying from now through the first week of August, the fall population could be average, or even a bit above average, in this region.

All in all, the prospects for a good fall migration are excellent!

Table 1. Number of monarch sightings reported to Journey North from 1 March through 8 July in 2005-2000 exclusive of states west of the Rockies and Florida. In the Totals column the numbers in parentheses are observations in Texas. The second to last column gives the proportion of the total observations that were from Texas and the last column shows the number of hectares of monarchs measured at the overwintering sites the following winter.

Year

March

April

May

June

<July 9

Totals

Texas (%)

Hectares

2005*

73

90

95

158

3

419 (94)

22

2004*

69

64

107

97

6

343 (75)

22

2.19

2003

112

83

112

94

1

402 (99)

25

11.12**

2002*

183

71

181

66

9

510 (159)

31

7.54

2001*

78

99

273

64

4

518 (101)

19

9.35

2000

88

109

158

48

0

403 (43)

11

2.83***

* Years with relatively low numbers of butterflies returning from Mexico.
** Two small colonies not included in total.
*** Sometimes erroneously reported as 3.83 hectares.

==========================================

2) Tagging Kits - Get 'em while you can!

As you can see from this month’s status report, it is now certain that the migration this fall will be larger than that of last year. However, as we reported last month, we commissioned the production of only 200,000 tags for this tagging season (100,000 fewer than each of the last two seasons). So if you are planning to tag monarchs this fall (or are purchasing tags for a school or organization) you should place your order soon. The orders are increasing each day now and it is possible that all tags will be distributed by the end of August  well before the migration gets into full swing.

Our new "Mini" Tagging Kits are a big hit with Nature Centers, Schools, and other organizations that distribute tags to others. The Standard Tagging Kits are for most individuals. Both types of Monarch Tagging Kits are available now via the Monarch Watch Shop online (24/7) at

Our Monarch Waystation program continues to grow. We are making new connections weekly with milkweed growers, groups interested in incorporating milkweeds in their habitats restoration projects, and others who are creating Waystations. Up to this point our registration and certification system has been quite basic and applicants have had to fax or mail in their applications. The good news is that the entire process has now been automated and the applications can now be completed online. We hope that by making the application process easier, more of you will choose to register and certify your monarch habitats as Monarch Waystations. We are confident that you will find the process of registration and certification easier than that for comparable programs.

A link to the new online application for Monarch Waystation certification is available at

What is a rain garden anyway? When I first heard the term “rain garden” my mind drifted to locations I’ve visited in the steaming, rainy tropics - of small towns with narrow streets and houses with balconies festooned with hanging flowers. With this image in mind I was sure that rain gardens didn’t relate to monarchs, but they do. In fact, rain gardens and Monarch Waystations fit well together. Rain gardens are catchment basins, usually relatively small, that are designed to catch rainwater runoff from buildings, parking lots, etc. The purpose of these gardens is to impound the runoff long enough for it to infiltrate the soil. The objective is to reduce the total volume of water reaching drainage systems, to recharge the water table, and to incorporate pollutants into the soil where they will break down due to the action of soil organisms and chemical processes. Reducing the quantity of pollutants reaching the natural watercourses that constitute our watersheds is an important goal. The impact of pollutants in runoff is dramatically illustrated by the growing dead-zone*, an area lacking oxygen and therefore most living forms, where the Mississippi River drains into the Gulf of Mexico. In much of the country, the development of housing and shopping centers in and around our cities has outstripped the capacity of older drainage or sewer systems to manage the runoff when rainfall is high, leading to flooding, property damage, and even loss of life. Upgrading the capacity of these drainage systems is a priority for many cities but it is a slow process and one that is exceedingly expensive. Rain gardens are a relatively cheap alternative but large numbers of these gardens are needed to significantly reduce runoff. A considerable effort is underway to convince municipalities and property owners that it is in their best interests to create rain gardens. In some cities, areas with new housing incorporate rain gardens as part of the development plan. Incentives to create the rain gardens are provided in some cases. Convincing the average homeowner to create a rain garden appears to be more difficult, since these projects can be labor intensive and costly.

Homeowners might be more interested in rain gardens if, in addition to containing runoff and controlling pollutants, these sites can be designed to provide habitats for wildlife. Designing the gardens with wildlife in mind should give them more value to the homeowner. Providing for wildlife is a matter of plant selection. All of the rain garden guidelines I’ve found online call for the utilization of native perennial plants**. The plants chosen for these sites could be selected, in part, on the basis of the resources they provide for butterflies, native pollinators and birds. Incorporating milkweeds into these gardens, together with nectar plants appropriate for butterflies, would provide the resources needed to support monarch butterflies and many other species. This design is precisely what we are advocating for Monarch Waystations:

In our part of the Midwest there are at least 5 milkweed species that could be utilized in rain gardens, Asclepias incarnata, A. syriaca, A. tuberosa, A. sullivantii, and A. verticillata. These milkweed species differ in their requirements and tolerances. Swamp milkweed (A. incarnata) could be planted in the wettest parts of the basins with others planted more to the periphery depending on their tolerance for moist conditions. These milkweeds are all good hosts for monarchs and have showy flowers. An added benefit of incorporating numerous nectar producing native perennials is that they provide nectar and pollen for numerous pollinators. [Fragmentation of habitats, particularly those of our native solitary bees, appears to be significantly reducing the populations of these species, many of whom play critical roles in the pollination of native plants.] Some of the plants could be selected on the basis of the food they provide for seed eating birds. The rain garden sites could be further enhanced for wildlife by adding bird-houses and nesting sites for solitary bees. Thus, rain gardens, which are designed to retard runoff and reduce the flow of pollutants into our watersheds, can be configured as Monarch Waystations and to provide useful habitats for wildlife.

If you are interested in helping us create Monarch Waystation habitats you might also consider creating a rain garden at the same time. Contact your local extension office, Masters Gardeners, or municipality to determine if rain gardens are being created in your area. In some cities, plans are under discussion for the creation of thousands of rain gardens. By incorporating milkweeds and nectar plants into these gardens, we can add monarchs to the urban landscape and do our part to help offset the 1.2 million acres of monarch and wildlife habitat that are lost each year due to development.

** Rain gardens  informative web sites. There are a large number of web sites devoted to rain gardens. The following sites provide background on the rain garden concept, illustrated guides on how to create rain gardens, and lists of potential plants to incorporate in these sites, etc. The plants listed for many of these programs are similar. However, these lists should be looked on as guidelines as there are many alternative species that could be used beneficially in these settings.

All 10,000+ Monarch Watch tag recoveries (1992 to date) are now accessible via a searchable database on our website. The search engine works well but is still very much a work in progress. It will take some time for us to proofread all of these records for typos, missing data, etc. but we are working on it as time allows. In the meantime, there are about 8800 records that are complete enough to work with. In the following summaries, I will work with the numbers that any of you can access from the database. Please be aware that the numbers below will change as additional records become available. Nevertheless, broad trends in the data will probably remain the same even with the addition of more recoveries.

Note that Monarch Watch taggers do not tag west of the divide, so western states are excluded from the list below. None of the monarchs tagged east of the divide have been collected at an overwintering site in California.

Table 1. The size of the overwintering monarch population in Mexico and the number of recoveries. The total area occupied by overwintering Monarch colonies in Mexico is shown in the first column. The areas and proportions of the total population are shown for El Campanario (El Rosario), the site of >80% of the recovered tags each year. The total number of tags recovered in Mexico, the number tagged, % recovered, and the ratio of the number tagged per recovery are shown for each year. This table was modified from p52 of the 2001 Monarch Watch Season Summary. The data were assembled from reports received from Eligo Garcia Serrano and Eduardo Rendon.

Winter

Hectares

El Rosario

Recoveries

No. Tagged
(x 1000)

%Recovered

Tagged/Recovery

92/93

-

-

0

5-6

0

5000-6000

93/94

6.23

3.57 (57%)

2

4-5

<0.005

2000-2500

94/95

7.81

3.58 (46%)

8

15

0.01

1875

95/96

12.61

4.35 (34%)

12

17

0.1

1417

96/97

20.97

7.61 (36%)

11

50

0.02

4545

97/98

5.77

3.37 (58%)

93

76

0.1

817

98/99

5.56

2.06 (37%)

420

65-80

<0.6

155-190

99/00

9.05

3.78 (42%)

674

63-74

<1.1

94-110

00/01

2.83

1.27 (45%)

177

63-79

<0.3

356-446

01/02

9.35

2.69 (29%)

3376

102

3.3

30.2

02/03

7.54

4.33 (51%)

310

81

0.4

261

03/04

11.12

4.74 (43%)

2741

94

2.9

34.3

04/05

2.19

1.3 (59%)

150

26

0.6

173

Notes:

• The number of butterflies tagged is estimated for all years except 2001/2002 and 2003/2004.

• Alar (fold over the wing tags) were used in 1992.

• Rectangular tags glued to the underside of the hindwing were used from 1993 through 1996.

• New self-adhesive circular lightweight tags applied to the discal cell were introduced in 1997.

• Rewards for tags recovered in Mexico were first offered in the winter of 1998/1999.

• Massive mortality due to winter storms occurred in the winters of 2001/2002 and 2003/2004.

The data in Table 1 require more analysis but there are a few points worth mentioning now. The adoption of circular tags and the payment for recoveries in the fall and winter of 1997 and 1998 had a dramatic influence on the recoveries. Note how the number tagged per recovery, the last column in Table 1, dropped sharply with the use of the new tags. An implication of this result is that a greater proportion of the butterflies with the circular tags survived to reach Mexico. This interpretation is further supported by the data in Table 2, which show that while the number of monarchs tagged with circular tags recovered within the United States has been relatively constant since 1997, the number recovered in Mexico has usually been higher. The ratio of US/MX recoveries is reduced to extremely low levels during winters with massive mortality due to storms (2001/2002 and 2003/2004). Cold winters aside, it is not clear how the recovery of tags is related to the size of the colony(ies) at El Rosario, the site of about 80% of the recoveries each year. Although the number of tags recovered was lowest in 2000/2001 and in 2004/2005 (the two years with the fewest hectares of butterflies) the numbers recovered in other years do not, at first glance, seem to be related to colony size. Other factors, such as the remoteness of the colonies and the density of the forest where the colonies form, which often differs from year to year, may influence the rate of tag recoveries.

Table 2. Recoveries in the US and Mexico for butterflies tagged in each fall season.

To get a better idea of how this season compares with the two previous seasons, last month we calculated the degree days for each year for five cities: Winnipeg (Manitoba, Canada), St. Paul, MN; Des Moines, IA; Lawrence, KS; and Dallas, TX. The calculations start with the approximate date of first arrival of monarchs for each location. The accumulated degree days as of 14 July are shown in Table 1. The number of degree days is higher so far in 2005 than for previous years for all cities except Dallas, which was slightly warmer in 2003. The difference between this season and 2004 is most pronounced for Winnipeg, St. Paul, and Des Moines. Clearly, the conditions for monarch reproduction and development are more favorable this season than for the last two years, especially 2004. If you look at the day-to-day degree day table for Winnipeg below, you will see that 20-25 degree days are accumulating per day. At this rate, the earliest egg laying should produce new adults on 20 or 21 July and thereafter, assuming that monarchs arrived in Winnipeg on 7 June or later. If this is true, what will happen to the earliest monarchs in the Winnipeg area? Will they become reproductive or will they enter diapause and linger in the area until the migration begins at that latitude around 15 August? Becoming reproductive is not a good option since it is unlikely that larvae started at this latitude in late July would experience enough degree days to complete their development. Moving south and becoming part of the pre-migration migration before the true migration begins is another option. Since the reports from Winnipeg suggest there will be an abundance of monarchs in this area in late July and August, it will be interesting to see when reproduction stops and when the butterflies leave the region.

Table 1. Accumulated monarch degree days and potential monarch generations for selected cities as of 14 July for the last three years. The number of degree days for each year is listed in the year column. Gens = number of generations

2003

2004

2005

City

Degree Days

Gens.

Degree Days

Gens.

Degree Days

Gens.

Winnipeg, MB

471.35

.65

334.95

.47

548.55

.76

St. Paul, MN

800.1

1.11

711.85

.99

982.7

1.36

Des Moines, IA

1140.5

1.58

1121.8

1.56

1268.3

1.76

Lawrence, KS

1401.85

1.95

1454.9

2.02

1496.6

2.08

Dallas, TX

2471.85

3.43

2452.1

3.41

2461.9

3.42

Monarchs require 720 degree days to complete development from egg to egg, that is, from the time an egg is laid until a female has mated and laid her first egg. At high temperatures these degree days accumulate rapidly and development can be completed in as little as 24 days. At cooler temperatures, degree days accumulate over a longer interval and generation lengths can increase to 40 and even 50 days, thus reducing the potential number of generations per season. Further, an increase in generation length has the effect of exposing the larvae for longer periods to predators, parasites and other environmental hazards that could reduce the proportion of the larvae reaching the adult stage. The formula used to calculate degree days is presented in the “Teaching with Monarchs” article in the January 2005 Update. The formula is quite easy to use - give it a try for your city.

In the tables below, the monarch degree days are shown for Winnipeg, St. Paul, Des Moines, Lawrence and Dallas for the past three seasons. The table for each city starts on the average date of first arrival of monarchs at that latitude. We will add to the tables below through the September Update.

Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada) 49:54:00N 97:07:48W

Date

2003

2004

2005

7-Jun

3.8

13.3

0.15

8-Jun

10.45

16.45

4.8

9-Jun

12.6

21.1

8.45

10-Jun

20.75

29.25

16.6

11-Jun

30.9

36.05

29.9

12-Jun

41.2

44.85

42.2

13-Jun

53.85

48

50

14-Jun

67.5

51.15

56.8

15-Jun

89.8

56.8

66.95

16-Jun

108.1

64.45

78.25

17-Jun

123.9

73.6

94.05

18-Jun

135.05

79.25

117.35

19-Jun

148.7

88.4

140.65

20-Jun

168

96.7

157.45

21-Jun

189.3

100.35

170.75

22-Jun

202.6

103.5

194.55

23-Jun

214.75

103.65

220.85

24-Jun

224.05

105.8

229

25_Jun

227.7

109.45

236.65

26-Jun

234.35

115.1

253.45

27-Jun

243.5

124.25

264.75

28-Jun

251.3

138.05

272.55

29-Jun

262.45

156.85

281.35

30-Jun

277.25

165

286.15

1-Jul

299.55

176.15

298.3

2-Jul

318.85

188.95

316.6

3-Jul

336.65

198.25

329.9

4-Jul

351.95

202.9

335.7

5-Jul

365.75

209.55

343.85

6-Jul

380.05

219.7

359.65

7-Jul

387.7

233

382.95

8-Jul

394.35

241.15

403.25

9-Jul

402

254.95

430.55

10-Jul

410.15

274.25

456.85

11-Jul

421.45

288.05

478.15

12-Jul

436.25

305.85

499.45

13-Jul

457.55

320.15

524.75

14-Jul

471.35

334.95

548.55

St. Paul, MN 44:56:52N 93:06:13W

Date

2003

2004

2005

22-May

0

3.65

11.15

23-May

6.65

3.8

21.95

24-May

16.3

5.95

33.1

25-May

27.45

10.1

38.9

26-May

38.6

18.75

47.05

27-May

53.25

25.4

51.7

28-May

66.55

34.55

57.35

29-May

79.7

39.85

64

30-May

92

51.65

76.15

31-May

97.65

60.45

89.8

1-Jun

107.8

66.25

106.1

2-Jun

115.95

76.4

122.9

3-Jun

126.25

86.55

139.7

4-Jun

138.9

99.7

156.5

5-Jun

146.7

116

176.3

6-Jun

155.5

132.3

196.1

7-Jun

164.3

159.8

220.4

8-Jun

174.6

178.6

239.2

9-Jun

184.75

188.9

256

10-Jun

195.05

196.2

274.8

11-Jun

201.7

206

295.6

12-Jun

213

222.3

313.4

13-Jun

230.8

241.1

332.7

14-Jun

246.6

255.9

347.5

15-Jun

265.4

271.7

361.8

16-Jun

288.2

288.5

375.6

17-Jun

311

304.8

391.4

18-Jun

329.8

311.1

410.2

19-Jun

343.6

320.6

432.5

20-Jun

358.4

331.4

454.8

21-Jun

376.2

342.7

477.1

22-Jun

398.5

355.35

500.4

23-Jun

417.3

367.65

530.9

24-Jun

441.6

373.3

553.2

25-Jun

457.4

382.45

572

26-Jun

466.7

392.1

598.8

27-Jun

479

399.9

621.1

28-Jun

493.3

413.05

640.4

29-Jun

508.6

430.85

661.7

30-Jun

526.4

452.15

678.5

1-Jul

547.7

474.45

693.8

2-Jul

575.5

497.25

708.6

3-Jul

600.8

518.55

728.4

4-Jul

625.1

538.85

746.7

5-Jul

646.4

554.15

760

6-Jul

668.7

562.95

773.8

7-Jul

689

572.25

792.6

8-Jul

706.8

585.05

816.4

9-Jul

720.1

604.35

843.2

10-Jul

733.4

624.15

872.5

11-Jul

748.2

645.45

899.3

12-Jul

764

668.25

926.1

13-Jul

781.8

690.55

954.4

14-Jul

800.1

711.85

982.7

Des Moines, IA 41:34:36N 93:37:03W

Date

2003

2004

2005

6-May

9.15

20.8

13.3

7-May

17.8

28.6

33.6

8-May

20.95

45.4

51.9

9-May

33.25

64.2

64.7

10-May

38.9

83

80

11-May

41.05

101.3

88.8

12-May

49.2

117.1

91.95

13-May

60.35

117.4

97.1

14-May

72.15

120.05

98.25

15-May

77.8

125.7

101.9

16-May

86.45

137.35

110.55

17-May

97.6

154.65

123.85

18-May

110.9

165.45

135.15

19-May

121.2

178.75

151.45

20-May

126.35

202.05

160.25

21-May

133

227.35

170.55

22-May

142.65

245.15

188.35

23-May

151.45

255.45

204.15

24-May

159.25

264.1

218.45

25-May

170.4

270.25

229.75

26-May

184.2

279.4

240.4

27-May

199.85

294.7

249.55

28-May

219.15

309.5

259.7

29-May

233.95

330.3

266.35

30-May

256.75

345.6

277

31-May

269.05

357.9

290.3

1-Jun

282.35

368.2

307.1

2-Jun

287.15

378

323.9

3-Jun

292.8

389.65

342.7

4-Jun

303.1

403.95

363.5

5-Jun

315.4

417.75

380.3

6-Jun

327.2

436.05

403.1

7-Jun

338

462.35

428.4

8-Jun

348.8

489.65

445.2

9-Jun

363.6

511.45

467

10-Jun

382.4

533.25

487.8

11-Jun

398.2

561.05

507.6

12-Jun

416

582.35

527.9

13-Jun

439.3

601.15

548.2

14-Jun

463.1

621.45

565

15-Jun

486.4

640.75

581.3

16-Jun

510.7

662.55

598.1

17-Jun

534.5

678.35

614.9

18-Jun

557.8

689.65

630.7

19-Jun

577.6

698.45

649.5

20-Jun

593.9

709.25

671.3

21-Jun

611.7

725.05

697.1

22-Jun

635

737.35

725.6

23-Jun

663.3

755.65

754.9

24-Jun

692.8

761.45

784.4

25-Jun

712.6

771.1

809.7

26-Jun

724.9

783.4

839.2

27-Jun

743.7

798.2

866.7

28-Jun

765

811

891

29-Jun

784.8

825.8

917.3

30-Jun

805.6

842.6

940.6

1-Jul

829.4

865.4

958.4

2-Jul

855.2

888.2

977.2

3-Jul

884.7

907

1000

4-Jul

914

929.3

1020.8

5-Jul

938.3

949.1

1040.1

6-Jul

965.1

963.4

1059.9

7-Jul

993.9

975.7

1083.2

8-Jul

1013.7

990.5

1107.5

9-Jul

1036

1012.8

1135.3

10-Jul

1054.8

1033.1

1163.1

11-Jul

1075.1

1051.9

1188.9

12-Jul

1093.9

1074.7

1213.7

13-Jul

1114.7

1101.5

1241

14-Jul

1140.5

1121.8

1268.3

Lawence, KS 38:57:46N 95:15:19W

Date

2003

2004

2005

28-Apr

13.8

21.3

0.65

29-Apr

29.1

30.6

0.65

30-Apr

49.4

39.9

5.8

1-May

54.05

45.55

7.95

2-May

64.2

49.2

11.1

3-May

74.35

54.85

17.75

4-May

92.15

65

27.4

5-May

105.8

80.65

38.55

6-May

117.1

104.45

54.2

7-May

127.25

126.75

73

8-May

142.55

148.05

87.8

9-May

158.35

169.35

103.1

10-May

175

186.65

121.4

11-May

181.65

204.95

141.2

12-May

191.8

225.75

161

13-May

203.6

234.4

171.8

14-May

220.4

238.05

180.45

15-May

230.55

248.2

186.1

16-May

238.35

261.35

196.25

17-May

251.65

281.65

211.55

18-May

264.8

295.95

231.85

19-May

275.6

318.25

251.65

20-May

281.25

345.55

268.45

21-May

288.9

372.35

286.25

22-May

299.05

398.15

307.05

23-May

310.35

417.95

326.35

24-May

322.65

439.25

345.15

25-May

332.45

452.55

361.95

26-May

345.1

463.85

374.6

27-May

359.25

482.65

385.75

28-May

377.55

499.45

399.9

29-May

394.2

523.75

416.7

30-May

420.2

536.9

429

31-May

430.5

551.05

449.3

1-Jun

442.65

565.85

466.6

2-Jun

448.95

579.15

483.4

3-Jun

454.6

592.3

498.2

4-Jun

464.75

607.1

521

5-Jun

480.05

621.4

541.3

6-Jun

493.85

643.7

563.1

7-Jun

503.5

670.5

591.9

8-Jun

516.15

699.8

618.9

9-Jun

532.95

719.6

641.2

10-Jun

555.25

742.4

663.5

11-Jun

575.55

771.7

684.8

12-Jun

597.85

796

709.1

13-Jun

629.15

818.3

730.4

14-Jun

649.95

846.3

751.2

15-Jun

671.25

871.1

771.5

16-Jun

693.55

897.4

795.3

17-Jun

712.85

914.2

816.6

18-Jun

734.15

931

836.9

19-Jun

757.95

941.3

859.2

20-Jun

776.75

957.1

882.5

21-Jun

796.05

978.4

907.3

22-Jun

820.35

994.7

934.3

23-Jun

846.15

1013

960.1

24-Jun

876.65

1032.8

989.1

25-Jun

897.95

1043.6

1018.6

26-Jun

913.75

1056.75

1046.6

27-Jun

935.55

1069.55

1075.6

28-Jun

960.85

1084.35

1103.4

29-Jun

984.65

1098

1132.9

30-Jun

1007.95

1115.8

1154.2

1-Jul

1033.75

1138.1

1174.5

2-Jul

1060.75

1158.9

1196.8

3-Jul

1089.75

1182.2

1223.6

4-Jul

1119.25

1208.5

1245.9

5-Jul

1148.75

1233.8

1267.7

6-Jul

1178.25

1252.1

1288

7-Jul

1210.75

1267.9

1311.8

8-Jul

1244.25

1290.2

1337.6

9-Jul

1273.25

1315

1365.1

10-Jul

1299.05

1340.8

1390.9

11-Jul

1325.05

1368.6

1416.7

12-Jul

1347.85

1397.6

1444

13-Jul

1372.85

1428.1

1470.8

14-Jul

1401.85

1454.9

1496.6

Dallas, TX 32:47:39N 96:45:55W

Date

2003

2004

2005

27-Mar

12.3

16.8

1.15

28-Mar

15.95

31.1

13.3

29-Mar

17.1

42.25

22.6

30-Mar

22.25

53.4

41.4

31-Mar

35.4

62.05

55.7

1-Apr

48.2

76.7

62.35

2-Apr

64

91

72.5

3-Apr

81.8

107.8

84.65

4-Apr

101.1

117.45

99.45

5-Apr

112.4

132.25

118.25

6-Apr

129.2

143.55

128.55

7-Apr

137.85

155.85

140.85

8-Apr

140

169.65

153.15

9-Apr

145.65

186.45

170.95

10-Apr

156.8

196.6

187.75

11-Apr

169.45

196.75

200.05

12-Apr

183.1

201.9

212.7

13-Apr

200.9

207.55

223.85

14-Apr

219.7

218.7

235.15

15-Apr

239

232.5

246.95

16-Apr

262.8

250.8

260.25

17-Apr

277.1

269.6

278.05

18-Apr

297.4

288.9

293.85

19-Apr

321.2

306.7

310.15

20-Apr

332.5

324.5

328.95

21-Apr

346.15

347.8

351.25

22-Apr

356.45

373.6

371.05

23-Apr

369.75

396.9

379.2

24-Apr

392.55

409.7

387.85

25-Apr

407.85

427

397

26-Apr

422.65

443.3

409.3

27-Apr

444.45

459.1

426.1

28-Apr

463.75

476.4

452.9

29-Apr

486.05

495.7

464.2

30-Apr

507.35

516

472.85

1-May

535.15

521.15

483

2-May

555.45

532.3

490.8

3-May

576.75

545.6

498.95

4-May

603.55

565.9

503.6

5-May

634.85

585.2

515.9

6-May

663.65

604

534.7

7-May

691.95

625.3

554.5

8-May

723.25

647.6

575.8

9-May

753.05

668.9

592.1

10-May

781.35

691.2

616.9

11-May

799.65

714

642.7

12-May

818.45

740.3

667

13-May

840.75

757.6

691.8

14-May

866.55

766.4

713.1

15-May

889.35

778.7

729.4

16-May

917.35

797

748.2

17-May

936.15

822.3

769.5

18-May

958.95

851.1

793.3

19-May

986.45

879.4

820.1

20-May

1002.75

907.2

849.6

21-May

1016.05

934

879.1

22-May

1031.85

961.8

911.1

23-May

1053.65

989.1

941.6

24-May

1081.45

1015.9

971.1

25-May

1100.25

1041.2

998.9

26-May

1115.05

1069

1024.7

27-May

1134.85

1096.3

1048

28-May

1154.65

1124.1

1064.8

29-May

1181.65

1154.4

1083.6

30-May

1210.65

1185.9

1106.9

31-May

1241.15

1214.2

1130.7

1-Jun

1269.65

1240.2

1154

2-Jun

1301.15

1266.2

1181.8

3-Jun

1330.15

1287.5

1208.6

4-Jun

1359.45

1311.3

1238.9

5-Jun

1378.75

1338.6

1269.4

6-Jun

1400.05

1365.9

1298.7

7-Jun

1421.35

1393.7

1330.2

8-Jun

1441.15

1415.5

1361.7

9-Jun

1468.65

1438.3

1393.7

10-Jun

1497.45

1465.6

1424.2

11-Jun

1525.95

1495.9

1454.7

12-Jun

1548.25

1527.2

1486.2

13-Jun

1569.05

1556.7

1515

14-Jun

1591.35

1586

1544.5

15-Jun

1617.15

1613.8

1575

16-Jun

1641.45

1642.6

1608.5

17-Jun

1665.75

1673.1

1639

18-Jun

1691.05

1705.1

1667.3

19-Jun

1719.85

1733.4

1697.8

20-Jun

1749.15

1762.2

1727.3

21-Jun

1779.45

1792.7

1755.6

22-Jun

1810.95

1816

1784.1

23-Jun

1843.45

1842.8

1814.6

24-Jun

1875.95

1872.1

1846.1

25-Jun

1908.45

1898.4

1878.6

26-Jun

1934.25

1920.7

1910.1

27-Jun

1958.05

1944.5

1942.1

28-Jun

1984.35

1967.8

1974.1

29-Jun

2012.65

1991.1

2007.1

30-Jun

2041.95

2016.4

2040.1

1-Jul

2072.45

2045.7

2070.6

2-Jul

2103.95

2077.2

2101.1

3-Jul

2135.95

2106.7

2132.6

4-Jul

2166.45

2138.7

2161.1

5-Jul

2194.75

2170

2190.6

6-Jul

2225.55

2201.5

2221.1

7-Jul

2256.05

2230.8

2244.4

8-Jul

2286.35

2262.3

2272.9

9-Jul

2316.85

2293.6

2303.4

10-Jul

2347.35

2324.1

2333.9

11-Jul

2376.85

2356.6

2366.4

12-Jul

2407.35

2388.6

2398.4

13-Jul

2439.85

2420.6

2430.4

14-Jul

2471.85

2452.1

2461.9

==========================================

7) Harvest and Storage of Milkweed Seeds

Are you looking for a project for students, a 4H group, Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts? Here’s a good one: get them involved with milkweed restoration and the creation of Monarch Waystations. A good way to start is by harvesting milkweed pods, separating the seeds, and storing the seeds for planting next spring. The seed pods can be collected and dried in paper bags or mesh grapefruit or onion bags. (We prefer the latter and will be offering a set of five mesh bags via the Monarch Watch Shop). The timing of the collection of milkweed pods is critical. Mature pods are those that are within a day or two of opening or have just opened. If you squeeze the pods and they don’t open easily, they usually do not contain mature brown seeds. Seeds well into the process of browning and hardening will germinate when planted the next season. Pale or white seeds should be not collected. Freshly collected pods should be dried in an open area with good air circulation. If mesh bags are used, they can simply be hung up in a storage area. Once the pods are thoroughly dry, the seeds can be separated from the coma, or silk-like ballooning material, by hand. Separation of seeds can also be accomplished by stripping the seeds and coma from the pods into a paper bag. Shake the contents of the bag vigorously to separate the seeds from the coma and then cut a small hole in a corner of the bottom of the bag and shake out the seeds into a suitable container. The whole process can get messy, so it’s best done outdoors, but the kids will love it. Processed seeds should be stored in a cool, dry place protected from mice and insects. If possible, store the seeds in a reclosable plastic bag or other sealed container in a refrigerator.

The children can select locations to plant their seeds during the winter. In some cases, they may wish to donate surplus seeds for local habitat restoration projects (e.g. Quail Unlimited, Pheasants Forever), work with farmers restoring CRP (Conservation Reserve Program) land, assist with planting gardens managed by the communities they live in or they may wish to partner with Master Gardeners or others who can help them create Monarch Waystations at schools, nature centers, retirement homes, etc.

A CAUTION:
Most of you will collect pods of the common milkweed and if you harvest mature pods they usually will not contain latex. However, if milkweeds should contain latex at the time of harvest, please be sure to caution all seed collectors not to rub their eyes after contact with a latex containing plant. If possible, wear gloves while collecting the pods and urge all participants to wash their hands after handling the milkweed pods. If latex should get in the eye of a participant, an unlikely occurrence, seek medical attention immediately.

==========================================

8) Morelia Monarch Conference Books

While cleaning out a storage area, we discovered twenty-four copies of the substantial publication resulting from the North American Conference on the Monarch Butterfly held in Morelia, Mexico in 1997. The topics included in this volume are papers that deal with biology, conservation, sustainability and development, and environmental education. We will distribute these books on a first come first serve basis for the cost of shipping. If you would like a copy, please email us at monarch@ku.edu (include “Morelia Conference Books” in the subject) with your shipping address and we will respond with further details.

==========================================

9) About Our Update List

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Monarch Watch (http://www.MonarchWatch.org) is a not-for-profit educational outreach program based at the University of Kansas. We run a Monarch tagging program and offer Monarch Rearing Kits, Monarch Tagging Kits, and other educational/promotional materials that allow you to actively experience the monarch life cycle and its spectacular fall migration.

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